The public school system, which is death

“What I don’t like, obviously, is that (charters) are still chained to the public school system, which is death.”

Did you ever wonder what the end result of Davis Guggenheim’s propaganda film “Waiting for Superman” was? What the non-stop cross-country tour of Michelle Rhee, demonizing public schools and their teachers, created? What all the empty-headed newspaper editorials and groundless columns targeting our children’s schools resulted in? This is it. Someone on Facebook equating the public school system with death.

It’s an odd thought as I get my two kids ready for school this morning, bundling my daughter off on her bus across town before dawn. The system that educates my kids, and millions of American children “is death” in the minds of some. As deeply flawed, and as frustrating as my experiences have been over the past seven years, I have always equated the system with “hope,” not “death.” Hope in the promise of children, hope in the promise of improvement. Hope returned by the faith of great teachers, who have invested time, skill, knowledge and love in the education of my children.

It’s too bad the “death” sentiment exists in childless libertarians, but elements of it infect the leaders of public school systems as well. Denver Superintendent Tom Boasberg, who not only doesn’t send his kids to the Denver system, but once sent his kids to private school, is a relentless proponent of charters, and a nearly full-time propagandist for them as well. His latest adventure? Take corporate foundation money (and corporate foundation money drives every single policy initiative in DPS these days) and send public school principals to understudy at charter schools. Oh. Of course this makes sense. Some of these charters get great TEST scores. But then again, they spend nearly twice as much money, per student, on average. They can demand parent volunteers. They push out kids that test poorly, reject kids with poor or non-existent test scores, don’t provide special education services. They don’t face the core challenges confronting public schools. So, of course, they are the perfect training grounds for public school principals. Which makes as much sense as equating the public school system with death.

In other news. Boasberg released his school budget plan to the public today. Presented as a fait accompli, rather than something subject to the approval of an elected school board, it promises more inequality in school resources. “DPS is also focused on meeting schools’ needs for more time. Extending the school day allows schools to offer more instructional and enrichment programs to their students. The proposed budget includes $2.5 million that would be directed to schools that submit the best extended-day proposals. Teachers at these schools who volunteer to extend their days will be paid for that additional time according to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. The funding could support a dozen or more schools that wish to pilot extended time programs.” So, students at schools with “the best” proposals will get more resources. While the extended-day concept is riddled with problems– it is really a remedial reading and math program– instead of a targeted student-centric intervention, no one could feign surprise that Boasberg is again pushing more inequality in school resources.